Merkel, Hollande Urge Putin to Back Cease-Fire in Ukraine

Reports of Downed Airplane Highlighted Urgency

By

Jan Hromadko

Updated June 14, 2014 1:29 p.m. ET

FRANKFURT—German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande have urged Russian President Vladimir Putin in a joint telephone call to help implement a cease-fire in Ukraine, the German government said in a statement Saturday.

In the discussion, Mrs. Merkel said she was shocked by reports of a downed military airplane in Ukraine that cost many lives, according to government spokesman Georg Streiter. Mrs. Merkel...